Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 4

Written Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Enda Kenny

Question:

84 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the current status of the proposals to provide water from the Lough Mask regional water scheme to Kilmaine and Shrule, the Neale and Cross, County Mayo; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by a number of communities in respect of water quality in these localities; if he has examined the monitoring reports on water quality in the area; his assessment of these results; his views on the water quality being used by householders; and if he will make a statement in respect of the proposal to supply water from the regional scheme to these areas. [15656/99]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

Contract documents for the Lough Mask regional water supply scheme – extension to Kilmaine and Shrule – were submitted to my Department in 1987 but have not been approved. As the scheme is not included in the 1999 water and sewerage services investment programme it comes within the terms of my Department's circular letter L9/98 of 22 October 1998. This circular asked each local authority to undertake a fresh assessment of the need for capital works in its area and to prepare a prioritised list of projects based on the assessment. The priority lists will be taken into consideration by my Department in framing future water and sewerage services investment programmes under the next National Development Plan 2000-2006. The most recent Environmental Protection Agency report on drinking water quality indicates that the existing public water supplies at Shrule and Kilmaine are generally of a satisfactory quality. There are no proposals with my Department for a water supply scheme for the Neale or Cross areas. Rural communities in the Neale and Cross areas are largely supplied by private group water schemes. Under my Department's rural water programme substantial funding is available to local authorities to assist group schemes with the current and capital costs of measures to remedy water quality problems. On 28 May last, the block grant allocation to Mayo County Council for this purpose was increased to £1 million.